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The Hill File
Age: 28
Hometown: Ambler, Pennsylvania
Favorite team: Phillies
Favorite Sport: Baseball
First writing job: This is the first one that has paid. I stumbled into this job after several years working in the education field.
Years writing for MLB: The 2007 season is my third.
Dream Job: Anything that combines baseball and comedy. In a perfect world I’d be a correspondent on a baseball-themed version of the Daily Show. |
Gameops.com: You are a writer for MLB.com, covering major and minor league teams, fantasy baseball and news around baseball….how did you get the task of writing about minor league promotions?
Benjamin Hill: When I started writing “Promotion Preview”, I knew nothing about the world of Minor League promotions. One of my editors had been writing the column, but he had too many other things to get done during the course of the week, and asked me to take it on instead. I accepted without thinking much of it, but after a few weeks I realized I enjoyed writing and researching “Promotion Preview” more than just about any other aspect of my job. There’s still an “anything goes” mentality in the Minor Leagues which is really refreshing and fun, and a great contrast to the increasingly homogenized world of the Majors.
Gameops.com: I am assuming you only get to see a handful of the promotions you are writing about, so what makes a promotion jump out at you to highlight in your weekly Top 10? Are you looking for the most noteworthy and shocking, or do you focus on ones you really think would draw fans?
Benjamin Hill: Yes, being based in NYC I rarely get to see what I’m writing about, which is frustrating and something I hope to change as the years go on. What I look for more than anything else when selecting the Top 10 is originality. Finding 10 unique promotions each week can be a challenge, as I’m not going to highlight reliable draws like fireworks shows, scout sleepovers or appearances by Dora the Explorer or Myron Noodleman. Promos like those have saturated the Minor League landscape, and would be boring to read (not to mention write). I think the people reading Promotion Preview are most interested in the offbeat and obscure things going on around the Minors. Things that make people say “I can’t believe they’re actually going to do that.”
Gameops.com: Are there a couple promotions you have featured that you just thought, “I have got to see this”? What were they?
Benjamin Hill: I would have loved to be in Portland (Oregon) last season for their “Rodney McCray bobblefence”, when the Beavers gave away dolls commemorating McCray’s famous crash through a wooden fence while attempting to catch a fly ball (it has gone on to become a blooper reel staple). McCray was a guest of honor at the game and threw out the first pitch. This season, the Beavers are giving away bobblehead dolls of some random guy who just happens to be named Bob L. Head.
The Altoona Curve’s “Awful Night” is always incredible, a game-long celebration of awfulness. I believe it was last season when they handed out lukewarm cups of coffee, in addition to photos of their general manager’s recently-removed gall bladder. The Curve have actually been successful with this, and quite a few other teams have now added “Awful Night” to their promotional schedule.
Gameops.com: When you are researching these promotions are there a few teams you always look to for fun promotions?
Benjamin Hill: The aforementioned Altoona Curve are always reliable (especially their “Retro Celebrity Series”, featuring appearances by the likes of Erik Estrada and Jimmy Walker). The Hagerstown Suns are never afraid to try goofy stuff, like the recent “Donald vs. Rosie” night. The Brevard County Manatees have a schedule packed with absurdity (Hen-pecked Husbands Night?), and every year they stage a World Record First Pitch Attempt. The Charleston RiverDogs are owned by the Veeck family, and they keep that spirit alive.
Gameops.com: You not only report on the promotions in your weekly column, you often take some playful pokes at them. Has anyone ever written you back upset that you weren’t taking their Celery mascot or “Superhero Appreciation Night” seriously?
Benjamin Hill: The only feedback I’ve ever gotten from teams is “Thanks for including us”, and remarks along those lines. I like to make a lot of jokes in the column, but I love what these teams are doing. I don’t want to come across like some snide, sarcastic jerk who only writes about this stuff in order to make fun of it. Minor League promotions are one of my absolute favorite things in all of sports.
Here is a sample of some of Benjamin's recent Top 10 Picks of the week
Vero Beach Devil Rays (Florida State League)
Mustache Growing Contest
Begins Sunday, May 20 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers
The Devil Rays begin an eight-game homestand on Sunday against Lakeland, and the club is inviting fans (presumably males, but you never know) to show up at the game clean-shaven and get their pictures taken. The following Sunday these same fans will return to the ballpark, and whoever has grown the best mustache will be declared champion. The criteria for what constitutes a mustache champion are hazy; the club's website merely says that the winner will be "crowned," whereupon he (or she) will be "the envy of all in attendance."
West Virginia Power (South Atlantic League)
Salute to Indoor Plumbing
Monday, May 21 vs. Augusta GreenJackets
The Power's "Salute to Indoor Plumbing" on Monday will be just that: a salute to indoor plumbing. Details on this event are sketchy, but it is sure to be a heartfelt celebration of one of the greatest advancements that the civilized world ever made. Stay tuned for similar events on the Power's promotional calendar, such as a tribute to the hot dog on May 28, a salute to cheese on July 23 and a celebration of bowling on August 13. All of those things help to make America the greatest country in the world.
Corpus Christi Hooks (Texas League)
Bishop Carmody Bobblehead Giveaway
Wednesday, April 25 vs. Midland RockHounds
How's this for a mouthful? On Wednesday, the Hooks will be holding "The Second Annual Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi Night at Whataburger Field." Last year's inaugural RCDCCNWF drew the largest single group to ever attend a Hooks game (1,152 people), a record that the club hopes to break this year. This shouldn't be a problem, as the Hooks will be giving away 2,500 Bishop Carmody Bobblehead dolls, an item sure to be highly coveted by Corpus Christi's large Catholic population. The 73-year-old Carmody has served as the city's bishop since 2000. Rumors that he has perfected the gyroball remain unsubstantiated.
Portland Beavers (Pacific Coast League)
Superhero Night
Thursday, May 3 vs. Salt Lake Bees
The Beavers take on the Bees on Thursday night, in what is sure to be a riveting battle between mammal and insect. But what may be even more riveting is the action that will be taking place in the stands, as fans are encouraged to come to PGE Park dressed as their favorite superhero. The most creatively dressed individuals will win prizes, and who doesn't love winning a good prize now and then? It's good for the soul.
Bowie Baysox (Eastern League)
"Office Space" Night
Monday, May 7 vs. Reading Phillies
Mike Judge's film, Office Space, a 1999 send-up of the absurdity of white-collar cubicle culture, has become a justly revered cult classic. On Monday, the Baysox will pay homage to the film's greatness by holding Office Space Night, in which the Mike Judge feature will be honored all game long. The highlight of the evening is sure to be the Charity Technology Smash, in which fans will be able to take out their frustrations with malfunctioning office equipment by smashing it into oblivion. "PC Load Letter? What does that even mean?"
To see over 50 additional promotions from Benjamin Hill and over 700 promotions, click to search the Gameops.com Promotion Database.
Thanks to Benjamin Hill. After I was researching promotions to add to the site I saw his name popping up all over. I tracked him down at MLB.com and he has been very gracious with his time.
If you'd like a particular promotion to be considered for this feature in the future, please send it to benjamin.hill@mlb.com with the subject line: "Promo Preview.". You can also send it to Gameops.com for inclusion on the Gameops.com Database and consideration for the yearly "Best of Awards".
